MIT Technology Review - nanostructureshttp://www.technologyreview.com/tagged/nanostructures/
enNanostructures Could Result In Cheaper Electric-Car Batterieshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/424651/nanostructures-could-result-in-cheaper-electric-car-batteries/
<p>Chinese startup develops new, low-cost ways to improve the properties of lithium-iron phosphate, a leading electrode material.</p><p>A Beijing startup called Wuhe is making electrode materials and batteries that could lower the cost of electric vehicles. The company uses nanostructures for battery materials that, like other recent nanostructures, let the materials deliver the large bursts of power needed for acceleration while maintaining energy storage capacity. But the Wuhe advance also makes the materials easier to work with than similar electrode materials, and as a result, it could cut battery-cell manufacturing costs by 10 percent. </p>Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices424651 at http://www.technologyreview.comNanonets Snare Energyhttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/410803/nanonets-snare-energy/
<p>A new material could cheaply convert sunlight into hydrogen.</p><p>One problem with solar cells is that they only produce electricity during the day. A promising way to use the sun’s energy more efficiently is to enlist it to split water into hydrogen gas that can be stored and then employed at any time, day or night. A cheap new nanostructured material could prove an efficient catalyst for performing this reaction. Called a nanonet because of its two-dimensional branching structure, the material is made up of a compound that has been demonstrated to enable the water-splitting reaction. Because of its high surface area, the nanonet enhances this reaction.</p>Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices410803 at http://www.technologyreview.comSmoothing Out Nano Edgeshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/410122/smoothing-out-nano-edges/
<p>A new method melts away tiny defects in nanostructures.</p><p>As microchips get progressively smaller and denser, each decrease in size brings its own set of problems. Currently, the fine metallic lines can be as narrow as a few dozen nanometers, so edgewise irregularities or edge roughness of just a few nanometers can cause major problems, such as current leakage or voltage fluctuation in a microprocessor. These tiny blemishes on the nano lines arise from the random fluctuation of electrons or photons during the process of nanofabrication. </p>Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices410122 at http://www.technologyreview.com